Guest Blogger: Cody Williams

Cody Williams is currently in the cast of the upcoming Broadway production of Cinderella. He made his Broadway debut in Memphis last year after receiving a Helen Hayes Nomination for playing Will Parker in Oklahoma! at Arena Stage. Other favorite credits include Cosmo in Singin’ in the Rain, Cohen in Yank!, and dancing as a guest artist with Atlanta Ballet. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

It's Possible! Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella has finally opened on Broadway. Performing this show every night is a dream come true! For so many months, I have wondered and dreamed of what this show would actually become. On opening night, March 3rd, I was so proud of the show that had been created. I was thrilled and grateful to be part of it, and it makes me so happy to believe that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II would feel the same way.

If I had to guess, I would say previews are so exciting because they are the landmark that tells you, 'The fun is about to begin!' They are the first palm trees you see on your drive to Disney World. Although we have a long month ahead of us, chalked full of all day rehearsals and hard work, knowing that we have hit preview time is exciting and energizing.

Getting ready for our dress rehearsal has certainly been an exciting time! It takes many people working in harmony to make Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella possible. Once we get the show up and running, it will work like a well-oiled machine. That being said, everyone in the building is still trying to figure out exactly what their track is. Seeing the cast and crew discover what this show is and how it works is special to say the least! It is so gratifying to see a set change work for the first time. I feel excited, proud, and grateful for everyone who made it happen, just like when I used to play soccer and a teammate would score a goal.

It could have been my head was cloudy from taking in everything new from tech, or maybe it was because I was trying so hard to learn my understudy roles, but when I saw on our daily schedule that we had a sitzprobe coming up I thought, 'Oh nice. It's our sitzprobe.' Considering I am privileged to help ORIGINATE a RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN MUSICAL on BROADWAY, my response to seeing sitzprobe on our daily schedule should have been something more along the lines of, 'AAaaaaaahhhhhsitzprobeaaaaaaAaaaaaaAAAHHHH!!!!!!!' (For anyone who doesn't know, sitzprobe, German for seated rehearsal, is the first time that singers get to sit down and make music with the orchestra.)

Witnessing a show come to life is an extremely special experience. While it is true that taking the time to tech through a show can be painfully long, it is equally true that teching a show gives you opportunities to witness moments that you will never forget. Since I don't mind long hours, I have had a great time getting the show up on its feet.

Having dreamt time and time again about the world of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, my castmates and I couldn't have been any more excited to finally set foot in the Broadway Theatre. On the day that we would finally move to the theater, we had our last morning rehearsal at the studio. Showing up at the 890 Broadway studios that morning felt like Christmas Eve and high school graduation, combined! Being able to count the mere hours until we made the big move created an excitement in the room that was so thick we could feel it.

What do you think was going through Philippa Bevans' head as she tucked Julie Andrews into bed, as the budding star sang "I Could Have Danced All Night" during rehearsals for the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady? Do you think she knew how special that moment was? Do you think she maybe had an inkling of how iconic Julie Andrews would become? I bet she did. As I listen to Laura Osnes sing "Impossible" while I drive her to the ball, I find myself wondering the same thing. Will this be the moment in my life that my daughter one day has me describe to her over and over again?

It's a very exciting time at Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella because we are just days away from moving out of our rehearsal studios and into the Broadway Theatre. It's truly astounding to think about how quickly time has passed since we started this process; it's probably due to the fact that as a company we have had so much fun. The atmosphere at rehearsal has been so warm and welcoming--something that definitely is trickling down from the people in charge--so it's the perfect place to have fun and just play.

Hi! My name is Cody Williams and I am so excited to be working on Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. Over the next month I'll be blogging about my rehearsal experience for this INCREDIBLE production. We rehearse at the historic 890 Broadway building, home to the American Ballet Theatre, Gibney Dance Center, and some of the nicest elevators in all of New York! My time with R+H's Cinderella started this summer with a month long workshop, continued with a reading in October and although we hadn't yet started actual rehearsals, we performed in the Macy's Day Parade this Thanksgiving (check that sucker of the bucket list!) We started rehearsal for the Broadway production the first week of December.